Payton appeared in 45 of 66 games for the Knicks during the shortened 2019-20 season. He averaged 10.0 points, 7.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals across 27.7 minutes per contest and started 36 games. The point guard ranked sixth in the NBA in both assist percentage (38.6) and steal percentage (2.7). Payton shot 43.9 percent from the field and hit 1.5 threes per game, which marked his fourth straight season of making at least 1.5 threes per contest. On Feb. 6, he set a new single-game career high by grabbing seven steals during a home win over the Magic. In that game, he also posted 15 points (7-13 FG, 1-1 3Pt), nine assists and four rebounds in just under 33 minutes. Payton's other single-game season highs were 20 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two made threes. Payton had six double-doubles and posted a triple-double on Feb. 3 during a win at Cleveland. He reached the triple-double mark in 33 minutes, accumulating 17 points (8-17 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-3 FT), 15 assists (with only one turnover), 11 rebounds and one steal. It was one of Payton's 11 games with at least 15 points, one of his nine games with at least 10 assists and one of his 20 games with at least five rebounds. He also had eight games with at least three steals and 13 games with at least one block.

The 2018-19 season marked Payton's age 24 season and his fifth year in the NBA. It was his first year with the Pelicans. He played and started all 42 of his appearances, missing a significant chunk of the season due to a sprained ankle. He saw 29.8 minutes per game, averaging 10.6 points, 7.6 assists (career high), 5.2 rebounds (career high) and 1.0 steals. He shot 43.4 percent from the field, 31.4 percent from three and 74.3 percent from the free-throw line (career high). In the 23 games that he saw 30-plus minutes, he averaged 12.6 points, 9.2 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal. Arguably his best game of the season occurred during a four-point victory over the Kings on the road. Payton posted 26 points (10-19 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 14 assists, six rebounds, three blocks and one steal across 39 minutes. It was one of his 10 double-doubles on the year. He also racked up six triple-doubles.

Payton's 2017-18 campaign began in Orlando before an early February deal shipped him to Phoenix in exchange for a draft pick. As has been the case throughout the course of his four-year NBA run, Payton once again proved to be a versatile weapon at both ends of the floor. Offensively, Payton averaged double figures (12.7 points) in scoring for a third straight season. He averaged better than four rebounds (4.3) for the third time in the past four years in addition to posting better than six assists (6.2) for a fourth straight campaign. Payton's field-goal percentage also improved. He finished the season at 49.3 percent, by far a career-high. On Jan. 3, Payton swiped a career-high five steals. On Valentine's Day, Payton posted his ninth career triple-double with 13 points, 12 assists and 11 boards during a loss at Utah. On Mar. 4, Payton recorded another TD with 11 points, a season-high 14 assists and 10 boards during a close loss at Atlanta. Defensively, Payton was his usual reliable self. Having quickly developed a reputation as one of the NBA's most effective perimeter defenders, Payton averaged more than one steal per game in each of his first four NBA seasons, including 1.3 steals per contest in 2017-18.

For the second time in three seasons, Elfrid Payton played in all 82 regular-season games for the Orlando Magic. Payton also continued to increase his scoring via improved shooting. The point guard shot a career-high 47.1 percent from the field and a career-best 69.2 percent from the charity stripe. As a result, his scoring average went up from 10.7 (2015-16) to 12.8. From the start of the 2014-15 season to February 2017, Payton recorded three triple-doubles. Then, he accomplished the feat on four occasions in March and once in April. On Mar. 3, Payton posted his first ever triple-double with 12 points, 10 boards and 10 assists in a win over Miami. He registered another triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss to the Knicks on March 6. One game later, Payton posted another triple-double with an astounding 22 points, 14 boards and 14 dimes in a win over Chicago. On March 24, Payton repeated the feat with 14 points, 11 boards and 10 assists during a blowout win over Detroit. And on Apr. 1, Payton had is fifth triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 dimes in a loss at Brooklyn. Payton ended the season with 529 total assists, good for 10th in the NBA. Payton also posted a career-high 18 double-doubles during the season.

In the 2015-16 season, Elfrid Payton's second year in The Association, the point guard improved his scoring via improved efficiency. Payton's scoring improved to 10.7 points per game his sophomore season, following an average of 8.9 per contest as a rookie. His field-goal percentage increased from 42.5 percent to 43.6 percent, while his made three-pointers went up from 0.1 to 0.4 per contest. Payton appeared in 73 games for the Magic, with 69 starts. On Nov. 18, Payton scored a career-high 24 points during a win over Minnesota. An ankle injury forced Payton to miss four games in January. On Feb. 7, the point guard dished a season-high 12 assists in a win over the Hawks. Payton would have two more games with 12 assists, both during March. Then, later in the month, a sprained elbow cost Payton five more games. Payton's 6.4 assists per game ranked 13th in the NBA.

Elfrid Payton was the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The Orlando Magic traded up to pick Payton and were eager for him to take over starting point guard duties. He made his NBA debut on Opening Night, Oct. 28, starting and playing 31 minutes in a loss at New Orleans. Payton would appear in all 82 games for the Magic, logging 63 starts. On Jan. 16, the rookie posted a career-high 22 points, plus 12 assists, in a loss to the Grizzlies. Payton scored 15 or more points in 14 games. The 20-year-old was named the January 2015 Rookie of the Month after posting 10.7 points, 6.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game. On Mar. 18, Payton posted 15 points, 12 assists and 10 boards for his first career triple-double. Two days later, he repeated the feat with 22 points, 10 boards and 10 assists in win over Portland. On March 27, Payton dished a career-high 13 assists in a loss to the Pistons. The uniquely coiffed point guard had 12 double-doubles and 13 games with double-digit assists. Payton was named to the 2014-15 All-Rookie First Team. Meanwhile, his 142 total steals ranked seventh in the NBA, while his 533 total assists ranked eighth.